


What Technically Never Happened

by LilRadRidingHood



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Canon Compliant, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Season/Series 17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilRadRidingHood/pseuds/LilRadRidingHood
Summary: Donut visits Wash in the hospital and helps him work through some memories. And possibly also feelings.
Relationships: Franklin Delano Donut/Agent Washington
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	What Technically Never Happened

"Wash?"

The ex-freelancer looks up to see his pink-clad friend standing in the doorway of the hospital room, helmet tucked under his arm. Wash sits up and beams at him.

"Hey, you made it back," Wash says. "How was your latest trip?"

Donut takes a seat by the bed. "It was good! I finally went back to visit Iowa for the first time in forever. I ran into some old classmates, which was kind of awkward, but it was nice to show them I'm not some repressed farm boy anymore."

"You know, I had a friend named Iowa once. He and these other two freelancers—Ohio and Idaho—they were the ones I went to when I went back in time and no one else would listen to me. Man, I should figure out what happened to them. They actually helped me, I think. Back when I was looking for Carolina, when we were… what were we doing again?"

"Oh, who knows? Probably just confusing time travel stuff that didn't really happen anyway."

Wash frowns. "You always do that."

"Huh?"

"You always try to avoid talking about the time loop by saying it never really happened."

"Because it didn't."

"Donut, please." He reaches out and takes Donut's hands. "The time we spent together, it- it made us closer, right?"

"It sure did," Donut admits softly.

"Then don't you want me to remember?"

Donut looks down at their hands and sighs. "Wash, _I_ don't wanna remember. I mean maybe I do, but either way, there'd be no point! We closed the time loop, so it never happened!"

"Don't say that."

"But it's true!

"No, it's not, and you know that," Wash snaps, pulling his hands back. "If you really believe it didn't happen—if you really believe the other Reds and Blues never spent all that time doubting you—then why do you keep running away?"

Donut flinches, and it's because he knows Wash is right. He keeps telling everyone he's always travelling because he wants to see the world, but the truth is, that's only part of the reason. His other motive is that he needs an excuse to stay away from the Reds and Blues. He can't help seeing them all differently now, after the way they treated him when he was trying to fix time. And even if he told them all it was no biggie, he's still not quite ready to let them back into his life.

"Look, I know that was harsh, but I- I've been through it before—remembering things I've never experienced," Wash says. "So don't tell me it never happened, Donut. Don't tell me these memories aren't real. Because I _know_ you remember them too, and I- I don't wanna go through this alone. Please."

Donut makes the mistake of looking into Wash's eyes then, and he never could say no to those eyes.

"Okay," he says. "What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you start at the beginning—when you found me after the others broke time?"

"All right. How _did_ I find you?" Donut thinks back to the start of their adventure, laughing when he finally remembers. "So Dr. Grey had this idea about funeral cannons…"

And then he goes through everything. Well, he leaves out the part where he starts majorly crushing on Wash, and they did get separated for a bit, but he goes through _most_ of everything. All the while, Wash listens intently, chiming in every now and then to apologize for shooting Donut, or to excitedly fill in some of the best parts he remembers. His eyes light up with admiration as he recalls the moments when Donut really shined, and it gives Donut a strong sense of pride.

Of course, it all had to end eventually, and this story didn't exactly have the happiest ending.

"Then there was only one paradox left," Donut says sadly, watching Wash's reaction to his words.

"I remember," Wash says. "I wanted you all to be there with me, and then…"

He doesn't finish his sentence, and Donut leans in to give him a hug. He holds on for a while until he feels Wash letting go.

"Thanks," Wash says, wiping an arm across his face. "I needed that."

"You know, I think I kinda needed it too," Donut says.

Sure, there was a lot of awful stuff along the way (like being shot again. And again. And again.), but Donut's proud of himself for getting through it. And he can't give himself credit if he keeps pretending it all never happened.

Wash clears his throat and looks away, and Donut realizes he's been smiling at him for an abnormal amount of time. "There's actually something else I was wondering about," Wash says. He shifts awkwardly in his bed.

Donut waits for him to continue.

"I…" Wash glances up for a second before looking down again. "Okay, this is gonna sound gushy, but my memory isn't the only thing that's been confusing me. I've also been thinking a lot about… feelings."

"Feelings?"

Wash nods. "I could already tell we were closer, even before I could remember why. But that's not all. There's also this one memory I keep fixating on. I don't even know what the context was, but I remember you- you saying you could _kiss_ me, and I just… I mean, you'd tell me, right? If something happened between us?"

"You mean like if we kissed?" Donut says unsurely, his eyes darting down to Wash's lips.

"Yeah. Like… like if we kissed." Now his eyes are on Donut's mouth too, their faces just inches apart and then not apart at all, because Wash's hand is in Donut's hair, and at last after all this time they're kissing.

Donut brings his hands up to cup Wash's face and sweeps his tongue forward before backing slightly away. But Wash follows him eagerly, whispering "Such a tease" between kisses. When they eventually pull apart for air, they find their way back together again, leaning their foreheads together as their breathing slows.

"Okay, that is something I would definitely not forget," Wash says, laughter bubbling in his throat.

"No, you're right. We never kissed," Donut says. "But I definitely wanted to."

"I could see that."

As if to emphasize his point, Wash goes in for another kiss, and Donut practically melts into it.

That's when they're interrupted by a throat clearing in the doorway.

"Carolina called," Dr. Grey says when they look up. "Apparently the Reds and Blues went out for pizza and wanted to bring you a slice. She said they'll be right over."

"Oh. Thanks," Wash says, and she continues down the hall. He looks at Donut. "Do you need to go?"

But after taking a moment to consider, Donut shakes his head. "I'll stay. I was planning to see them again eventually, and it has kinda been a hassle to only visit you when they're not here." He slips his hand into Wash's and intertwines their fingers. "Plus, I'm not really eager to leave right now."

"Well then," Wash says, stroking his free hand up Donut's arm, "we might as well make good use of the rest of the time we have alone together."

"You know, I couldn't agree more."

Then Donut kisses Wash again, and for all the lasting effects of the time loop that still haunt him, he knows that this, at least, can make him happy. And right now, that's enough to make him feel like he can deal with anything.


End file.
